On March 9, our newspaper TGI has reported that the monk seal population on the main Hawaiian Islands is growing, which is just part of the carefully designed public awareness campaign that the “caretakers” of the monk seals are executing.
The front-page article confirmed that these monk seals are dangerous, carnivorous predators that are now pampered and protected, because a bunch of non-Hawaiian scientists had declared them endangered species, and to distinguish them from other seals they affixed the name Hawaiian onto them.
They must have known that a good flow of cash will go from the federal wildlife protection funds to the caretakers year after year. And there is quite a large leeway given to them how they spend that money, despite the fact that large wild animals may need protection, but don’t really need care. Nature does it better.
According to the annual reports, most of the federal money is spent on raising public awareness. This purpose, however, is intended only to save the boat, that is the continuous stream of money, because these wild predators don’t create enough action to justify spending more than a million dollar on them per year.
The public awareness is successful, because the Kaeha Foundation that calls itself the Hawaiian-Environmental Alliance is even soliciting donations for the protection of monk seals from the public. Greediness does not know limits.
The misinformation about the Hawaiian origin of the monk seal is obvious if someone checks the records. The “official” version is that these monk seals have been in Hawaii for thousands of years, but it is unsupported, because the site where the oldest, allegedly 600-year-old monk seal carcass was found is classified. So is the carbon test that allegedly proves the age of the bones.
The other “official” claim is that the Hawaiian name of the monk seal is Ilio-holo-i-ka-uaua (with a haole translation “the dog that runs in the rough water”) appeared in the chants of the Kumulipo, our ancient Creation Chant.
One needs to check only the original records of the Kumulipo to see that it is not true. There, in the chant Ka Wa Eone there is a line saying “he ‘iole holo i ka uaua,” which means “a rat that runs in the rough.”
Well, well, well. Very interesting how the rat became a dog which then turned into Hawaiian monk seal. It took only a tiny bit of change in the spelling to make a dog out of the rat and then sell it to the public as a monk seal.
There is one more proof that the monk seals have not been here for a long time. A very simple, but a logical one. No monk seal recipes exist.
You probably know the lifestyle of our ancestors: They ate everything that was edible from makai to mauka and even if they did not write down recipes they have passed them on from generation to generation.
Can you even imagine a Hawaiian man just 100 years ago going to the ocean for food for his ohana and not being happy to find a monk seal basking in the sun on the beach there, and not killing it and taking it home for having a great luau? It would have been the perfect dish for the entire ohana or the village and even a chant would have been created of the deed!
I was born and raised in Hawaii and have been living here for more than 65 years but have not seen any monk seals before the 1990s and none of my native brothers and sisters on Kauai, Niihau and other Hawaiian Islands did.
We are convinced that they were brought here to exploit the federal fund options and secure money that can be easily spent without good accounting. The monk seals had to be here to assure high visibility of the project.
There are many more monk seals on the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, and even if they are being considered endangered, which we Hawaiians don’t agree to, there is nobody there to set up ropes and signs to “protect” them, so there is nobody to pay the federal funds to.
In the meantime, these monk seals are overprotected here and now we have more predators that will rip our fishing nets and steal our lobsters and the larger fish. Please stop this nonsense.
You are saying that they need protection? We, the people need more. Why don’t you collect all of your monk seals here and transport them to the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands? Release them there and let nature protect them.
Oh, on the way don’t forget to gather those too that would be swimming in the ocean and waiting to be blown apart into sashimi-size pieces when the U.S. Navy is messing up our ocean during their insane annual maneuvers killing with their bombs, missiles and torpedoes thousands of fish and hundreds of other endangered animals, including monk seals in the water.
As for the money that comes from the federal coffers, we can suggest better use that the Hawaiians could benefit from. Ask us for suggestions.
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Timothy Oga lives in Eleele.
Tim I’m not gonna go off on you too hard because your level of ignorance is truly profound. Monk seals are a unique species and as such took hundreds of thousands of years to evolve…not 600. They only exist here in Hawaii…like nene. You got beef with them too? And while you may not like the fact they get government protection, they get a million dollars while people in Hawaii get over a billion dollars in aid from the state…a thousand times more. Maybe you should find some other creature to hate on because how many problems is a highly-endangered seal species really causing you?
You had me until you said, “We are convinced that they were brought here to exploit the federal fund options and secure money that can be easily spent without good accounting.” That’s when I realized that you’re most likely a conspiracy disciple and a believer in chemtrails.
Firstly you are saying to Distinguish this species from others they added Hawaiian to it? That’s not how species work, you know that right? It becomes its own species when it is found to be genetically different than other similar species. I’d suggest reading up on evolution. Now secondly, Riddle me this. Are there recipes for the many of species of flightless birds that were common before the Polynesians arrived? Are these birds in the Hawaiian creation chant? Even though there are many heaps of fossil evidence that proves they existed here long before the Polynesians arrival. No? Hmmm. Could this be that the creation chant is relatively new and was created after the demise of some of these species and the extrication of others? Could there be no recipes because they were so easy to catch that the Polynesians ATE THEM ALL. Yes after the arrival of the Polynesians many many species were driven to extinction. In the case of the monk seal, which has a carrying capacity of about 2000. What if early Hawaiians ATE THEM all in the main Hawaiian islands, it wouldn’t of taken long. And the only place that these seals survived were those that lived in the northwestern Hawaiian islands where these new Polynesians did not visit as often. After the population was knocked down so heavily how long do you think it would take to rebound? Those seals surviving in the northwestern Hawaiian islands would of had no desire or need to travel to the main Hawaiian islands as they were born there.
Let’s be glad you don’t make policy to protect native endangered species.
Thinking the monkseal program makes a bunch of money they can spend however they wish? Yeah, I bet they are all driving around in brand new cars and make a huge salary, right? Wait, no they don’t. Hmm. Interesting. Pick a new battle buddy. Just because you don’t ‘believe’ they are native or endangered, it means nothing to the actual science and scientists.
It is a fact that NOAA has been dropping seals off on our shores. It is a fact that the more seals existing in our island chain, the more justification for federal funds. And it is a fact that Hawaiians do not have a recipe for seals as do the Eskimo. Instead of brushing this article off as conspiracy, try consider the facts and not believing that the government is transparent and accountable to every cent they spend. But it would take too much time and energy to investigate the claims this article makes I guess. But with respect, everybody chooses to believe what they like.
tomniblick@gmail.com
There are 7.5 billion humans and only 1,400 Hawaiian Monk Seals. I choose to protect the seals.
Thank you for writing this.
I agree that a top predator, such as a Monk Seal, is really a wild animal, and not a “pet” no matter how cute their eyes are….
We are training this top predator that they “own” the beach, and the food in the waters. Interaction is forbidden, and now there is a proposal to extend the 50 foot “protection” zone around the seals, even in the water.
This is just not really feasible, and is setting up a potentially harmful encounter with humans.
I also agree that, if the monk seals were prevalent in the MHI, then Polynesians would likely have removed them as a food source and also as a competitor for food. That is likely why they located to the NWHI.
Please oppose HCR45.URGING THE DEPARTMENT OF LAND AND NATURAL RESOURCES TO PROHIBIT INDIVIDUALS FROM APPROACHING WITHIN FIFTY FEET OF A HAWAIIAN MONK SEAL EXCEPT WHEN PROVIDING AID TO THE HAWAIIAN MONK SEAL.. Codifying this treatment is just not a rational idea.
Seals are NOT pets.
I too, lived here for 65 yrs and i can agree with you that there was never a seal siting in or on land until the 90’s. However, ” what bombs and heavy arsenals are you talking about that the navy use in our ocean?” Maybe the only bomb is the one you are smoking!
The world would be a better place if we would all seek the truth in all things instead of believing what sounds good to ones self interest I am native Hawaiian and am a cultural practitioner, resource gatherer, and conservationist. I agree with 100% of this article. It is a fact that seals are being relocated from the northwestern Hawaiian islands to our island chain by NOAA. There is documentation and evidence of that. It is also a fact that seals are a predator to our island resources and compete with local fishermen. An invasive species such as this can do irreversible damage to our echo system. Hows that statement for scare tactic right back at you. And DLNR is attempting to create stricter fishing regulations for humans because they claim that the fisheries are being depleted. Something wrong with that picture, unless the truth no fit your narrative. And I never hear one kupuna confirm they seen seals in their day or heard stories. Correction i heard one kupuna say he seen um but that guy was on NOAA payroll to protect seals. So eh, prove to me they was hea. Not I gotta prove they wasn’t The article is also correct on how federal funding comes in. Investigate for yourself as a non biased citizen. I guarantee you will not get clear direct answers and factual evidence to prove otherwise. And also question who did the research? If they did their own, redflag buddy!